blackshama's commentary on Philippine issues

The end of the second semester is always a headache for professors like me. For one thing the real summer has kicked in. As someone who keeps tab on climate as part of my career responsibilities, I can probably divide the Pinoy summer into two “sub seasons”. The early summer (late Feb and early March) is when the last of the northeasters blow and the NW Pacific high pressure ridge is over us and the weather while warm is still pleasantly dry with tolerable humidity. The second is the long hot muggy summer (late March to mid May) when the easterly wave brings slight winds but high humidity. Traditionally the Holy Week is the start of the muggy summer season. Unfortunately the end of sem and graduation season falls right smack into the muggy season. The graduating students have to be given their grades and I make it a point to conduct informal “exit interviews” before informing them of their last grade as undergraduates. I have not been in the teaching business for a long time unlike ...

Drivers like me have noticed something in the last few weeks. Ever since coming back from a spate of field work in April and May, I have noticed that there are fewer cars on Manila's main streets even on weekdays. It was possible for me to go to Manila Ocean Park in Luneta from Diliman in 30 minutes on a weekday! On weekends even on a Saturday (the worst day according to motorists) when number coding is not in effect, there is less traffic nowadays. The crisis has taken a big bite. The first sign of a recession is less cars on the road. Fewer people will go to the malls, such as the one owned by the Gokongweis. And speaking of the Gokongweis, the Kwentong Peyups of the Philippine Star last Sunday (25 May) had Robina Gokongwei's commencement speech to the centennial graduates of the UP School of Economics. You can download a pdf file of her speech at the UP Econ website . Robina is famous for having been kidnapped in the early 80s when she was an Econ senior. Thus she was sent o...